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Minister Martin Cullen to Speak Out on RTÉ Radio 1's Arts Tonight
28th September 2009
Minister for Arts, Sports and Tourism, Martin Cullen T.D., is set to reiterate his objections to aspects of the McCarthy Report. Speaking to RTÉ Radio 1 presenter Vincent Woods on Monday night, the Minister gives his reaction to both the McCarthy and Commission on Taxation recommendations in relation to the arts in Ireland.
Outlining his objections to the suggestion in the McCarthy report that the Irish Film Board and Culture Ireland should be abolished, the Minister says: "If you look at the achievements of those two particular bodies over the last number of years any resources that have certainly been put into it are achieving far, far greater return to the state than the actual money put in in the first place. It's a very, very productive part of the economy."
Minister Cullen pledges his support to defending arts funding in the upcoming budget and reiterates his belief that the arts are central to the building of the Irish economy, citing that his "message has been that the artistic and cultural community is very much at the fulcrum of our economic well being." He continues: "we have Brand Ireland, which is our culture, which opens doors by the way for huge amounts of business that happens in this country because people have a connection through our culture into Ireland."
Vincent Woods also talks to artist Amanda Coogan at the new Visual Centre for the Contemporary Arts and George Bernard Shaw Theatre in Carlow, which opens this weekend.
Arts Tonight is RTÉ Radio 1's new weekly arts discussion programme. Airing on Monday evenings, it is the latest addition to RTÉ Radio's arts coverage, joining the new five night per week, hour-long Arena, presented by Sean Rocks.
